Another stop off at the Menin Gate this morning to locate the Australian war plaque for the men "Known Unto God" who died in Ypres. There was panel after panel ... it was very sobering. From there we departed Ypres and headed south towards Pozieres. We passed cemetery after cemetery, some dedicated to the British, others to the Canadians but all maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The cemeteries are all in immaculate condition, freshly weeded, grass mown and flowers of all description are planted along the rows - row after row after row.
We stopped at Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery and saw rows and rows of headstones inscribed with the words, "Known Unto God".
6826 Australians died in the battle of Pozieres of whom 4112 are still missing.
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| Poziers Windmill plaque |
On the outskirts of Pozieres we passed a sign; I thought it was indicating the way to the trenches that have been retained and maintained, however, it was to the Trench Cemetery. This cemetery is located about 5 km down a dirt track, potholed and unsealed. Then in the midst of a farmers property, was Trench Cemetery. A long stretch of grass, again beautifully edged and mown, led to the cemetery that had row after row of headstones with inscriptions like:
"A Soldier of the Great War ... Known Unto God"; "Died at Duty's Call"; "Not One Life Shall be Destroyed"; "A Loving Song, Gentle and King, Loyal and True"; "A Brother beloved a Big Hearted Loyal Friend"; "Their Glory shall not be Blotted Out"; "He Died the Helpless to Defend an Australian Soldier's Noble End". Mothers and fathers and siblings denied their loved ones ...
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| Trench Cemetery |
And at the Villers-Bretenneux School: "This school building is the gift of the school children of Victoria, Australia, to the children of Villers-Bretonneux, as a proof of their love and goodwill towards France. Twelve hundred Australian Soldiers, the fathers and brothers of these children, gave their lives in the heroic recapture of this town from the invader on 24th April 1918, and are buried near this spot. May the memory of great sacrifices in a common cause keep France and Australia together forever in bonds of friendship and mutual esteem."
We visited the Australian 1st division AIF site near Pozieres. Just under 4,700 Australian soldiers lost their lives here. It was also the first time tanks were brought into the war.
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| A tank sculpture on the monument that commemorates the Tank Division at Pozieres |
We made our way to Villers-Bretonneux hoping to find some accommodation in a Gite but no one knew of one there. The two women in the post office were very accommodating and together with a customer who offered to translate, they were all able to come up with two options. Sadly the gite ecommended was more like a motel so we opted to travel to Corbie, another quaint little town. We'll stay tonight and head off to explore more of the Somme tomorrow.
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